U.S. patent number 10,096,072 [Application Number 14/530,188] was granted by the patent office on 2018-10-09 for method and system for reducing the presentation of less-relevant questions to users in an electronic tax return preparation interview process.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Intuit Inc.. The grantee listed for this patent is Intuit Inc.. Invention is credited to Safia Ata Ali, Marc Attinasi, Heather Daggett, Phillip J. Ohme.
United States Patent |
10,096,072 |
Ali , et al. |
October 9, 2018 |
Method and system for reducing the presentation of less-relevant
questions to users in an electronic tax return preparation
interview process
Abstract
A method and system include reducing a presentation of
less-relevant questions to a user of a tax return preparation
system to personalize a tax return preparation interview process
for the user, according to one embodiment. The method and system
include providing a number user experience elements to a user to
select from, according to one embodiment. The method and system
include receiving selected ones of the number of user experience
elements from the user interface, according to one embodiment. The
method and system include prioritizing questions of the tax return
preparation interview process, by relevance to the user, based at
least partially on the selected ones of the number of user
experience elements, according to one embodiment. The method and
system include delivering relevant ones of the questions to the
user through the user interface to progress the user through the
tax return preparation interview process, according to one
embodiment.
Inventors: |
Ali; Safia Ata (San Francisco,
CA), Attinasi; Marc (Encinitas, CA), Daggett; Heather
(San Diego, CA), Ohme; Phillip J. (San Diego, CA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Intuit Inc. |
Mountain View |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Intuit Inc. (Mountain View,
CA)
|
Family
ID: |
63685246 |
Appl.
No.: |
14/530,188 |
Filed: |
October 31, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q
40/123 (20131203) |
Current International
Class: |
G06Q
40/00 (20120101) |
Field of
Search: |
;705/3-44 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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2002-099613 |
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Apr 2002 |
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JP |
|
10-2009-0089225 |
|
Aug 2009 |
|
KR |
|
Other References
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p. 2, paragraph 2; https://taxmap.ntis.gov/taxmap/pub/p559-001.htm;
retrieved from the Internet Jul. 11, 2017. cited by applicant .
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by applicant .
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2014,
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Modular_programming&oldid=61895-
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by applicant .
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filed Oct. 31, 2014. cited by applicant .
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Within a Tax Return Preparation System," U.S. Appl. No. 14/607,935,
filed Jan. 28, 2015. cited by applicant .
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Preparers with the Preparation of Tax Returns for Client Tax
Filers," U.S. Appl. No. 14/634,219, filed Feb. 27, 2015. cited by
applicant .
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Recommendation for a Tax Return Preparer," U.S. Appl. No.
14/670,986, filed Mar. 27, 2015. cited by applicant .
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Calculating an Estimated Result of a Tax Return," U.S. Appl. No.
14/674,582, filed Mar. 31, 2015. cited by applicant .
Laaser et al., "Systems for Identifying Abandonment Indicators for
an Electronic Tax Return Preparation Program," U.S. Appl. No.
14/698,645, filed Apr. 28, 2015. cited by applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Poinvil; Frantzy
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Hawley Troxell Ennis & Hawley
LLP McKay; Philip
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A computing system implemented method for reducing a
presentation of less-relevant questions to a user of a tax return
preparation system to personalize a tax return preparation
interview process for the user, comprising: providing, with a user
interface hosted by a mobile computing system of a user, a number
of user experience elements comprising draggable graphical tiles,
wherein each of the number of user experience elements includes a
graphical tiled representation of at least one of: a tax-related
topic, a social characteristic of the user, and a financial
characteristic of the user, wherein the individual ones of the
number of user experience elements are selectable by the user
through the user interface by the user moving individual ones of
the number of user experience elements from a first region of the
user interface to a second region of the user interface; receiving
selected ones of the number of user experience elements from the
user interface; determining a relevancy of each question of a
question pool stored in a data structure configured with questions,
attributes of each question, and associated tax topics associated
with a subject matter of each question, the determined relevancy
being at least partly based on the selected ones of the user
experience elements; linking individual ones of the selected user
experience elements as navigation elements to particular questions
determined to be a high relevancy; prioritizing questions of the
tax return preparation interview process, the determined relevancy,
omitting questions of the tax preparation interview process having
low relevancy to the user based on the determined relevancy;
receiving a selection of one of the selected user experience
elements, resulting in a navigation selection; and delivering
relevant ones of the questions to the user through the user
interface to progress the user through the tax return preparation
interview process, an order of the questions being delivered being
at least partly based on the navigation selection.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation of
at least some of the number of user experience elements is selected
from a group of icons consisting of: a car; a currency; a computer
monitor; a house; children's blocks; a medical bag; a star; wedding
rings; a briefcase; a graduation cap; a present; and a car.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the graphical
representations of the number of user experience elements is
associated with one or more of the questions of the tax return
preparation interview process.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical representations of
the number of user experience elements includes at least one of a
tile and a bubble.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second region of the user
interface includes at least one of an image of a pallet, a bubble,
and a well.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the social characteristic of the
user includes at least one of: whether the user has children;
whether the user is married; and whether the user has dependents
other than children.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the financial characteristic of
the user includes at least one of: whether the user is employed;
whether the user contributes to charity; whether the user is a home
owner; whether the user has medical expenses; whether the user is a
student; and whether the user owns a car.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein prioritizing the questions of the
tax return preparation interview process includes filtering
irrelevant questions from the questions of the tax return
preparation interview process if the irrelevant questions are not
associated with at least one of the selected ones of the number of
user experience elements.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein prioritizing the questions of the
tax return preparation interview process includes filtering
relevant questions from the questions of the tax return preparation
interview process if the relevant questions are associated with at
least one of the selected ones of the number of user experience
elements.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: providing additional
user experience elements to the user interface for the user to
select from, based at least partially on the selected ones of the
number of user experience elements.
11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: indicating which
ones of the questions of the tax return preparation interview have
been completed by the user by highlighting ones of the number of
user experience elements that correspond with the completed
questions of the tax return preparation interview.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering relevant ones of the
questions to the user includes omitting ones of the questions that
do not correspond with at least one of the selected ones of the
number of user experience elements.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein delivering relevant ones of the
questions to the user includes delivering more relevant ones of the
questions before delivering less relevant ones of the
questions.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the questions of the tax
return preparation includes attributes, wherein the attributes
include one or more of a question identification, question content,
a topic, a subtopic, and a priority.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein prioritizing the questions of
the tax return preparation interview process includes prioritizing
the questions at least partially based on the attributes.
16. A nontransitory computer-readable medium having a plurality of
computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a
processor, perform a method for reducing a presentation of
less-relevant questions to a user of a tax return preparation
system to personalize a tax return preparation interview process
for the user, the instructions comprising: a tax return preparation
engine configured to host a user interface to provide user
experience elements and relevant interview questions to the user to
progress the user through the tax return preparation interview
process hosted by a mobile computing system of a user; wherein the
user experience elements include graphical tiled icons that are
associated with tax-related topics, wherein the user experience
elements are selectable by the user through the user interface by
moving one or more of the user experience elements from a first
region in the user interface to a second region of the user
interface; a data structure that includes questions for the tax
return preparation interview process, wherein each question is
associated with at least one of the tax-related topics, the data
structure configured with questions, attributes of each question,
and associated tax topics associated with a subject matter of each
question; and a question relevance module configured to receive
selected ones of the user experience elements, wherein the question
relevance module is configured to determine the relevant interview
questions from the questions for the tax return preparation
interview process, at least partially based on the selected ones of
the user experience elements, and is further configured to link
individual ones of selected user experience elements as navigation
elements to particular questions determined to be a high relevancy
and receive a selection one of the user experience elements and
responsively delivering at least one question to the user based on
the selected one of the user experience elements and the navigation
element.
17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the user
experience elements include at least one of a tile icon and a
bubble icon that is selectable by the user.
18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the question
relevance module determines relevant interview questions based on
the tax-related topics of the questions and based on the selected
ones of the user experience elements.
19. A system for reducing a presentation of less-relevant questions
to a user of a tax return preparation system to personalize a tax
return preparation interview process for the user, the system
comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory coupled
to the at least one processor, the at least one memory having
stored therein instructions which, when executed by the at least
one processors, perform a process for reducing a presentation of
less-relevant questions to a user of a tax return preparation
system to personalize a tax return preparation interview process
for the user, the process including: providing, with a user
interface hosted by a mobile computing system of a user, a number
of user experience elements comprising draggable graphical tiles,
wherein each of the number of user experience elements includes a
graphical tiled representation of at least one of: a tax-related
topic, a social characteristic of the user, and a financial
characteristic of the user, wherein the individual ones of the
number of user experience elements are selectable by the user
through the user interface by the user moving individual ones of
the number of user experience elements from a first region of the
user interface to a second region of the user interface; receiving
selected ones of the number of user experience elements from the
user interface; determining a relevancy of each question of a
question pool stored in a data structure configured with questions,
attributes of each question, and associated tax topics associated
with a subject matter of each question, the determined relevancy
being at least partly based on the selected ones of the user
experience elements; linking individual ones of the selected user
experience elements as navigation elements to particular questions
determined to be a high relevancy; prioritizing questions of the
tax return preparation interview process, the determined relevancy,
omitting questions of the tax preparation interview process having
low relevancy to the user based on the determined relevancy;
receiving a selection of one of the selected user experience
elements, resulting in a navigation selection; and delivering
relevant ones of the questions to the user through the user
interface to progress the user through the tax return preparation
interview process, an order of the questions being delivered being
at least partly based on the navigation selection.
20. The system of claim 19, wherein the graphical representation of
at least part of the number of user experience elements is selected
from a group of icons consisting of: a car; a currency; a computer
monitor; a house; children's blocks; a medical bag; a star; wedding
rings; a briefcase; a graduation cap; a present; and a car.
21. The system of claim 19, wherein each of the graphical
representations of the number of user experience elements is
associated with one or more of the questions of the tax return
preparation interview process.
22. The system of claim 19, wherein the graphical representations
of the number of user experience elements includes at least one of
a tile and a bubble.
23. The system of claim 19, wherein the second region of the user
interface includes at least one of an image of a pallet, a bubble,
and a well.
24. The system of claim 19, wherein the social characteristic of
the user includes at least one of: whether the user has children;
whether the user is married; and whether the user has dependents
other than children.
25. The system of claim 19, wherein the financial characteristic of
the user includes at least one of: whether the user is employed;
whether the user contributes to charity; whether the user is a home
owner; whether the user has medical expenses; whether the user is a
student; and whether the user owns a car.
26. The system of claim 19, wherein prioritizing the questions of
the tax return preparation interview process includes filtering
irrelevant questions from the questions of the tax return
preparation interview process if the irrelevant questions are not
associated with at least one of the selected ones of the number of
user experience elements.
27. The system of claim 19, wherein prioritizing the questions of
the tax return preparation interview process includes filtering
relevant questions from the questions of the tax return preparation
interview process if the relevant questions are associated with at
least one of the selected ones of the number of user experience
elements.
28. The system of claim 27, wherein the process further comprises:
providing additional user experience elements to the user interface
for the user to select from, based at least partially on the
selected ones of the number of user experience elements.
29. The system of claim 19, wherein the process further comprises:
indicating which ones of the questions of the tax return
preparation interview have been completed by the user by
highlighting ones of the number of user experience elements that
correspond with the completed questions of the tax return
preparation interview.
30. The system of claim 19, wherein delivering relevant ones of the
questions to the user includes omitting ones of the questions that
do not correspond with at least one of the selected ones of the
number of user experience elements.
31. The system of claim 19, wherein delivering relevant ones of the
questions to the user includes delivering more relevant ones of the
questions before delivering less relevant ones of the
questions.
32. The system of claim 19, wherein each of the questions of the
tax return preparation includes attributes, wherein the attributes
include one or more of a question identification, question content,
a topic, a subtopic, and a priority.
33. The system of claim 32, wherein prioritizing the questions of
the tax return preparation interview process includes prioritizing
the questions at least partially based on the attributes.
Description
BACKGROUND
Federal and State Tax law has become so complex that it is now
estimated that each year Americans alone use over 6 billion person
hours, and spend nearly 4 billion dollars, in an effort to comply
with Federal and State Tax statutes. Given this level of complexity
and cost, it is not surprising that more and more taxpayers find it
necessary to obtain help, in one form or another, to prepare their
taxes. Tax return preparation systems, such as tax return
preparation software programs and applications, represent a
potentially flexible, highly accessible, and affordable source of
tax preparation assistance. However, traditional tax return
preparation systems are, by design, fairly generic in nature and
often lack the malleability to meet the specific needs of a given
user.
For instance, traditional tax return preparation systems often
present a fixed, e.g., predetermined and pre-packaged, structure or
sequence of questions to all users as part of the tax return
preparation interview process. This is largely due to the fact that
the traditional tax return preparation system analytics used to
generate a sequence of interview questions are static features that
are typically hard-coded elements of the tax return preparation
system and do not lend themselves to effective or efficient
modification. As an example, in traditional tax return preparation
systems, the sequence of questions presented to a user is
pre-determined based on a generic user model that is, in fact and
by design, not accurately representative of any particular "real
world" user. Consequently, irrelevant, and often confusing,
interview questions are virtually always presented to any given
real world user. It is therefore not surprising that many, if not
all, user of these traditional tax return preparation systems
experience, at best, an impersonal, unnecessarily long, confusing,
and complicated, interview process and user experience. Clearly,
this is not the type of impression that results in happy, loyal,
repeat customers.
Even worse is the fact that, in many cases, the hard-coded and
static analysis features associated with traditional tax return
preparation systems, and the resulting presentation of irrelevant
questioning and user experiences, leads potential users of
traditional tax return preparation systems, i.e., potential
customers, to believe that the tax return preparation system is not
applicable to them, and perhaps is unable to meet their specific
needs. In other cases, the users simply become frustrated with
these irrelevant lines of questioning and other user experience
elements. Many of these potential users and customers then simply
abandon the process and the tax return preparation systems
completely, i.e., never become paying customers. Clearly, this is
an undesirable result for both the potential user of the tax return
preparation system and the provider of the tax return preparation
system.
What is needed is a method and system for reducing the presentation
of irrelevant questions to users during a tax return preparation
interview, to improve the personalization of the electronic tax
return preparation interview process.
SUMMARY
Embodiments of the present disclosure address the shortcomings of
traditional tax return preparation systems with systems and methods
that reduce the presentation of less-relevant and/or irrelevant
questions to users during the tax return preparation interview, to
improve the personalization of the electronic tax return
preparation interview process, according to one embodiment. The
systems and methods include providing a user with user experience
elements, e.g., the graphical icons, that represent tax-related
topics and/or characteristics of the user's life, according to one
embodiment. For example, some of the user experience elements
represent whether the user is a homeowner, whether the user is
single, whether the user has children, whether the user is
unemployed, whether the user is a contractor, whether the user has
donated money to charity, whether the user has medical expenses,
and the like. Each of the user experience elements is associated
with and/or related to one or more tax return preparation interview
questions, which may be stored in a question database, a question
table, or some other data structure within the service provider
computing environment, according to one embodiment. The user
chooses which user experience elements are relevant to the user, by
dragging and dropping the user experience elements from the first
region in a user interface to a second region in the user
interface, according to one embodiment. The tax return preparation
system then uses the selected ones of the user experience elements
to prioritize the questions of the question database to filter out
any less-relevant or irrelevant questions, according to one
embodiment. The tax return preparation system then presents the
relevant questions from the question database to the user based on
the user experience elements that were initially selected by the
user, to progress the user through the tax return preparation
interview process using personalized and relevant questions,
according to one embodiment.
The disclosed systems and methods address some of the shortcomings
associated with traditional tax return preparation systems by
increasing a relevance of questions presented to a user in an
electronic tax return preparation interview process based on
graphical user experience elements selected by the user, according
to one embodiment. As a result, embodiments of the present
disclosure improve the technical fields of user experience,
electronic tax return preparation, and data flow and distribution
by enabling a tax return preparation system to gather more complete
information from the user and to provide a more thorough and
customized analysis of potential tax return benefits for the
user.
In addition, by minimizing, or potentially eliminating, the
processing and presentation of irrelevant questions, implementation
of embodiments of the present disclosure allows for significant
improvement to the field of data collection and data processing. As
one illustrative example, by minimizing, or potentially
eliminating, the processing and presentation of irrelevant question
data to a user, implementation of embodiments of the present
disclosure allows for relevant data collection using fewer
processing cycles and less communications bandwidth. As a result,
embodiments of the present disclosure allow for improved processor
performance, more efficient use of memory access and data storage
capabilities, reduced communication channel bandwidth utilization,
and faster communications connections. Consequently, computing and
communication systems implementing and/or providing the embodiments
of the present disclosure are transformed into faster and more
operationally efficient devices and systems.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of software architecture of a tax return
preparation system for reducing the presentation of irrelevant
questions to users during a tax return preparation interview, in
accordance with one embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a process for reducing the
presentation of irrelevant questions to users during a tax return
preparation interview, in accordance with one embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram of a user interface for graphically determining
tax-related topics that may be relevant to the user, in accordance
with one embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a diagram of a user interface for graphically determining
tax-related topics that may be relevant to the user, in accordance
with one embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a diagram of a user interface for graphically determining
tax-related topics that may be relevant to the user, in accordance
with one embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a diagram of a user interface for graphically providing
relationships of dependents to a tax return preparation system, in
accordance with one embodiment.
Common reference numerals are used throughout the FIG.s and the
detailed description to indicate like elements. One skilled in the
art will readily recognize that the above FIG.s are examples and
that other architectures, modes of operation, orders of operation,
and elements/functions can be provided and implemented without
departing from the characteristics and features of the invention,
as set forth in the claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments will now be discussed with reference to the
accompanying FIG.s, which depict one or more exemplary embodiments.
Embodiments may be implemented in many different forms and should
not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein,
shown in the FIG.s, and/or described below. Rather, these exemplary
embodiments are provided to allow a complete disclosure that
conveys the principles of the invention, as set forth in the
claims, to those of skill in the art.
The INTRODUCTORY SYSTEM, HARDWARE ARCHITECTURE, PROCESS, and USER
EXPERIENCE sections herein describe systems and processes suitable
for increasing a relevance of questions presented to a user in an
electronic tax return preparation interview process to improve the
personalization of the electronic tax return preparation interview
process, according to various embodiments.
Introductory System
Herein, the term "production environment" includes the various
components, or assets, used to deploy, implement, access, and use,
a given application as that application is intended to be used. In
various embodiments, production environments include multiple
assets that are combined, communicatively coupled, virtually and/or
physically connected, and/or associated with one another, to
provide the production environment implementing the
application.
As specific illustrative examples, the assets making up a given
production environment can include, but are not limited to, one or
more computing environments used to implement the application in
the production environment such as a data center, a cloud computing
environment, a dedicated hosting environment, and/or one or more
other computing environments in which one or more assets used by
the application in the production environment are implemented; one
or more computing systems or computing entities used to implement
the application in the production environment; one or more virtual
assets used to implement the application in the production
environment; one or more supervisory or control systems, such as
hypervisors, or other monitoring and management systems, used to
monitor and control assets and/or components of the production
environment; one or more communications channels for sending and
receiving data used to implement the application in the production
environment; one or more access control systems for limiting access
to various components of the production environment, such as
firewalls and gateways; one or more traffic and/or routing systems
used to direct, control, and/or buffer, data traffic to components
of the production environment, such as routers and switches; one or
more communications endpoint proxy systems used to buffer, process,
and/or direct data traffic, such as load balancers or buffers; one
or more secure communication protocols and/or endpoints used to
encrypt/decrypt data, such as Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocols,
used to implement the application in the production environment;
one or more databases used to store data in the production
environment; one or more internal or external services used to
implement the application in the production environment; one or
more backend systems, such as backend servers or other hardware
used to process data and implement the application in the
production environment; one or more software systems used to
implement the application in the production environment; and/or any
other assets/components making up an actual production environment
in which an application is deployed, implemented, accessed, and
run, e.g., operated, as discussed herein, and/or as known in the
art at the time of filing, and/or as developed after the time of
filing.
As used herein, the terms "computing system," "computing device,"
and "computing entity," include, but are not limited to, a virtual
asset; a server computing system; a workstation; a desktop
computing system; a mobile computing system, including, but not
limited to, smart phones, portable devices, and/or devices worn or
carried by a user; a database system or storage cluster; a
switching system; a router; any hardware system; any communications
system; any form of proxy system; a gateway system; a firewall
system; a load balancing system; or any device, subsystem, or
mechanism that includes components that can execute all, or part,
of any one of the processes and/or operations as described
herein.
In addition, as used herein, the terms "computing system" and
"computing entity," can denote, but are not limited to, systems
made up of multiple: virtual assets; server computing systems;
workstations; desktop computing systems; mobile computing systems;
database systems or storage clusters; switching systems; routers;
hardware systems; communications systems; proxy systems; gateway
systems; firewall systems; load balancing systems; or any devices
that can be used to perform the processes and/or operations as
described herein.
As used herein, the term "computing environment" includes, but is
not limited to, a logical or physical grouping of connected or
networked computing systems and/or virtual assets using the same
infrastructure and systems such as, but not limited to, hardware
systems, software systems, and networking/communications systems.
Typically, computing environments are either known environments,
e.g., "trusted" environments, or unknown, e.g., "untrusted"
environments. Typically, trusted computing environments are those
where the assets, infrastructure, communication and networking
systems, and security systems associated with the computing systems
and/or virtual assets making up the trusted computing environment,
are either under the control of, or known to, a party.
In various embodiments, each computing environment includes
allocated assets and virtual assets associated with, and controlled
or used to create, and/or deploy, and/or operate an
application.
In various embodiments, one or more cloud computing environments
are used to create, and/or deploy, and/or operate an application
that can be any form of cloud computing environment, such as, but
not limited to, a public cloud; a private cloud; a virtual private
network (VPN); a subnet; a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC); a sub-net
or any security/communications grouping; or any other cloud-based
infrastructure, sub-structure, or architecture, as discussed
herein, and/or as known in the art at the time of filing, and/or as
developed after the time of filing.
In many cases, a given application or service may utilize, and
interface with, multiple cloud computing environments, such as
multiple VPCs, in the course of being created, and/or deployed,
and/or operated.
As used herein, the term "virtual asset" includes any virtualized
entity or resource, and/or virtualized part of an actual, or "bare
metal" entity. In various embodiments, the virtual assets can be,
but are not limited to, virtual machines, virtual servers, and
instances implemented in a cloud computing environment; databases
associated with a cloud computing environment, and/or implemented
in a cloud computing environment; services associated with, and/or
delivered through, a cloud computing environment; communications
systems used with, part of, or provided through, a cloud computing
environment; and/or any other virtualized assets and/or sub-systems
of "bare metal" physical devices such as mobile devices, remote
sensors, laptops, desktops, point-of-sale devices, etc., located
within a data center, within a cloud computing environment, and/or
any other physical or logical location, as discussed herein, and/or
as known/available in the art at the time of filing, and/or as
developed/made available after the time of filing.
In various embodiments, any, or all, of the assets making up a
given production environment discussed herein, and/or as known in
the art at the time of filing, and/or as developed after the time
of filing, can be implemented as one or more virtual assets.
In one embodiment, two or more assets, such as computing systems
and/or virtual assets, and/or two or more computing environments,
are connected by one or more communications channels including but
not limited to, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) communications channels
and various other secure communications channels, and/or
distributed computing system networks, such as, but not limited to:
a public cloud; a private cloud; a virtual private network (VPN); a
subnet; any general network, communications network, or general
network/communications network system; a combination of different
network types; a public network; a private network; a satellite
network; a cable network; or any other network capable of allowing
communication between two or more assets, computing systems, and/or
virtual assets, as discussed herein, and/or available or known at
the time of filing, and/or as developed after the time of
filing.
As used herein, the term "network" includes, but is not limited to,
any network or network system such as, but not limited to, a
peer-to-peer network, a hybrid peer-to-peer network, a Local Area
Network (LAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a public network, such as
the Internet, a private network, a cellular network, any general
network, communications network, or general network/communications
network system; a wireless network; a wired network; a wireless and
wired combination network; a satellite network; a cable network;
any combination of different network types; or any other system
capable of allowing communication between two or more assets,
virtual assets, and/or computing systems, whether available or
known at the time of filing or as later developed.
As used herein, the term "user" includes, but is not limited to,
any party, parties, entity, and/or entities using, or otherwise
interacting with any of the methods or systems discussed herein.
For instance, in various embodiments, a user can be, but is not
limited to, a person, a commercial entity, an application, a
service, and/or a computing system.
As used herein, the terms "interview" and "interview process"
include, but are not limited to, an electronic, software-based,
and/or automated delivery of multiple questions to a user and an
electronic, software-based, and/or automated receipt of responses
from the user to the questions, to progress a user through one or
more groups or topics of questions, according to various
embodiments.
As used herein, the term "user experience" includes not only the
interview process, interview process questioning, and interview
process questioning sequence, but also other user experience
features provided or displayed to the user such as, but not limited
to, interfaces, images, highlighting mechanisms, icons, progress
indication tools, and any other features that individually, or in
combination, create a user experience, as discussed herein, and/or
as known in the art at the time of filing, and/or as developed
after the time of filing.
Hardware Architecture
FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a production environment 100
for increasing a relevance of questions presented to a user in an
electronic tax return preparation interview process, according to
one embodiment. The production environment 100 is configured to
provide relevant questions to a user during an electronic tax
return preparation interview by filtering less relevant questions
from a question pool, at least partially based on a manipulation or
selection of user experience elements by the user, according to one
embodiment. The production environment 100 increases the relevance
of questions presented to the user in the electronic tax return
preparation interview process by presenting a number of user
experience elements for the user to select from, receiving the
selected user experience elements from the user, generating a
relevance filter based on the selected user experience elements,
applying the relevance filter to questions in a question pool to
determine relevant questions for the user, and presenting the
relevant questions to the user to progress the user through an
electronic tax return preparation interview, according to one
embodiment. The user experience elements include icons and/or text
that identify tax-related topics or tax-related subtopics,
according to one embodiment. The user experience elements are
presented to the user, can be relocated within a user interface by
the user, and are representative of the user's social and/or
financial characteristics, according to one embodiment. Examples of
characteristics that are represented by user experience elements
include, but are not limited to, whether the user has a job, is
unemployed, is a homeowner, has children, has medical bills, is
single, is a business owner, is a student, has made charitable
donations, has a car, is a contractor, and the like, according to
various embodiments. By gamefying (or "gamifying") the initial
characteristics of the user, the tax return preparation interview
is simplified, is able to quickly acquire detailed information
about the user, is entertaining, and is able to increase the
relevance to the user of subsequently presented questions,
according to one embodiment. For example, if the user selects a
user experience element that indicates that the user is single, the
tax return preparation interview can skip questions related to the
user's spouse, according to one embodiment. As another example, if
the user selects the user experience element indicates that the
user is unemployed, the tax return preparation interview can reduce
the relevance or priority of questions that are related to
investment income, so that the questions are presented after more
relevant questions are presented, according to one embodiment.
As discussed above, there are various long standing shortcomings
associated with traditional tax return preparation systems. Because
traditional programs incorporate hard-coded analytics algorithms
and fixed sequences of questions and user interfaces, traditional
tax return preparation systems provide a user experience that is
impersonal and that has historically been a source of confusion and
frustration to a user. Using traditional tax return preparation
systems, users who are confused and frustrated by irrelevant
questioning, and other generic user experience features, often
attempt to terminate the interview process as quickly as possible,
and/or provide, unwittingly, incorrect or incomplete data.
The production environment 100 addresses some of the shortcomings
associated with traditional tax return preparation systems by
increasing a relevance of questions presented to a user in an
electronic tax return preparation interview process based on
graphical user experience elements selected by the user, according
to one embodiment. As a result, embodiments of the present
disclosure improve the technical fields of user experience,
electronic tax return preparation, and data flow and distribution
by enabling a tax return preparation system to gather more complete
information from the user and to provide a more thorough and
customized analysis of potential tax return benefits for the
user.
In addition, by minimizing, or potentially eliminating, the
processing and presentation of irrelevant questions, implementation
of embodiments of the present disclosure allows for significant
improvement to the field of data collection and data processing. As
one illustrative example, by minimizing, or potentially
eliminating, the processing and presentation of irrelevant question
data to a user, implementation of embodiments of the present
disclosure allows for relevant data collection using fewer
processing cycles and less communications bandwidth. As a result,
embodiments of the present disclosure allow for improved processor
performance, more efficient use of memory access and data storage
capabilities, reduced communication channel bandwidth utilization,
and faster communications connections. Consequently, computing and
communication systems implementing and/or providing the embodiments
of the present disclosure are transformed into faster and more
operationally efficient devices and systems.
The production environment 100 includes a user computing
environment 110 and a service provider computing environment 120
for increasing question relevance in an electronic tax return
preparation process, according to one embodiment. According to one
embodiment, the production environment 100 is configured to provide
relevant questions to a user during an electronic tax return
preparation interview by filtering less relevant questions from a
question pool, at least partially based on a manipulation or
selection of user experience elements by the user. The computing
environments 110 and 120 are communicatively coupled to each other
with a communication channel 101, a communication channel 102, and
a communication channel 103, according to one embodiment.
The user computing environment 110 represents one or more computing
systems such as, but not limited to, a tablet computing device, a
smart phone, a personal digital assistant, a laptop, a desktop, a
netbook, a virtual machine, or other computing system capable of
hosting a user interface for interaction by user, according to one
embodiment. The user computing environment 110 includes
input/output ("I/O") devices 111 for displaying information through
a user interface 112 and for receiving information from the user
through the user interface 112, according to one embodiment. The
user interface 112 is executed on the user computing environment
110, but the user interface 112 is hosted by the service provider
computing environment 120, according to one embodiment. In other
words, in one embodiment, the user interface 112 is a remote
terminal for relaying information to the user from the service
provider computing environment 120, e.g., by transmission over the
Internet. The I/O devices 111 include, but are not limited to, a
touch sensitive screen, a microphone, a speaker, a mouse, a virtual
and/or physical keyboard, a monitor, and a touchpad, according to
one embodiment.
The user computing environment 110 receives user experience
elements on 13 from the service provider computing environment 120,
and displays the user experience elements 113 to the user through
the user interface 112, for manipulation and/or selection by the
user, according to one embodiment. The user experience elements 113
include icons and/or text that identify tax-related topics,
tax-related subtopics, social characteristics of the user, and/or
financial characteristics of the user, according to one embodiment.
Examples of tax-related topics, tax-related subtopics and/or
characteristics that are represented by user experience elements
include, but are not limited to, whether the user has a job, is
unemployed, is a homeowner, has children, has dependents, does not
have children, does not have dependents, has medical bills, is
single, is a business owner, is a student, has made charitable
donations, has a car, is a contractor, and the like, according to
various embodiments. According to various embodiments, the user
experience elements 113 can have gamefied characteristics and can
be shaped into tiles, bubbles, or any one of various shapes with
various colors to create an entertainment-oriented atmosphere for
the user as the user begin the tax return preparation
interview.
The user experience elements 113 are presented to the user by the
user interface 112 to enable the user to select one or more of the
user experience elements 113 that are applicable to the social
and/or financial characteristics of the user, according to one
embodiment. Through the user interface 112, the user and determines
which of the user experience elements 113 are applicable to the
user, and relocates the applicable user experience elements 113
from a non-user-selected region of the user interface 112 to a
user-selected region of the user interface 112, according to one
embodiment. In one embodiment, a non-user-selected region of the
user interface 112 is a top-half or top-portion of the user
interface 112 and a user-selected region of the user interface 112
is a bottom-half, bottom-portion, or other designated portion of
the user interface 112. In one embodiment, the user drags the user
experience elements 113 towards an avatar or character that is
representative of the user, in order to select the user experience
elements 113 that are relevant to the user. In one embodiment, the
user drags the user experience elements 113 into a bubble, into a
well, into a box, into a house, or into another object, in order to
select the user experience elements 113 that are relevant to the
user. The user interface 112 is configured to enable the user to
highlight, select, or otherwise indicate which of the user
experience elements 113 are relevant to the user, according to
various embodiments. Various embodiments of the user experience
elements 113 and the user interface 112 are described below and are
illustrated in FIGS. 3-6. According to various implementations,
different embodiments can be released to be operated by different
platforms. For example, a drag-and-drop bubble embodiment of the
user experience elements 113 can be released for touch-screen
devices such as tablet computing devices and smart phones, while
drag-and-drop tile (round or square) embodiment of the user
experience elements 113 can be released for laptop and desktop
computing devices, according to one embodiment.
By gamefying the initial characteristics of the user, the tax
return preparation interview is simplified, is able to quickly
acquire detailed information about the user, is entertaining, and
is able to decrease the amount of time consumed in progressing a
user through the tax return preparation interview process by
reducing and/or eliminating less-relevant and irrelevant tax return
preparation questions, according to one embodiment.
The service provider computing environment 120 represents one or
more computing systems such as, but not limited to, a server, a
computing cabinet, and/or distribution center that is configured to
receive, execute, and host one or more tax return preparation
applications for access by one or more users, e.g., clients of the
service provider, according to one embodiment. The service provider
computing environment 120 includes a tax return preparation system
121 that is configured to provide relevant questions to a user
during an electronic tax return preparation interview by filtering
less relevant questions from a question pool, at least partially
based on a manipulation or selection of user experience elements
113 by the user, according to one embodiment. The tax return
preparation system 121 includes various components, databases,
engines, modules, and data to support providing relevant questions
to a user during an electronic tax return preparation interview by
filtering less relevant questions from a question pool, according
to one embodiment. The tax return preparation system 121 includes a
question pool 122, a question relevancy module 123, a tax return
preparation engine 124, and prior user tax return data 125,
according to one embodiment.
The tax return preparation system 121 uses the question pool 122 to
store, prioritize, and provide tax return preparation interview
questions to the user in an organized manner, according to one
embodiment. The question pool 122 includes a question table 126,
which is a data structure for storing, organizing, and/or
conveniently referencing or retrieving tax return preparation
interview questions, according to one embodiment. The question
table 126 includes columns 127 and rows 128 for organizing the tax
return preparation interview questions, according to one
embodiment. Each of the rows 128 represents a single question, and
each question includes the various attributes, as indicated by the
columns 127, according to one embodiment. According to various
embodiments, the attributes of each question can be characterized
by one or more columns 127 which include, but are not limited to,
an identification ("ID"), a topic, a subtopic, a default order,
content, liability weight, and the like. The ID can be a unique
identifier for a question out of all of the questions included in
the question pool 122, according to one embodiment. The topics,
e.g., A-KL, can include, but is not limited to high-level topics
such as home, self and family, charitable contributions, education,
medical, and the like. The subtopics can correspond to
subcategories of the topics and include, but are not limited to,
mortgage interest credit, homebuyer credit, elderly/disabled
credit, legal fees, student loan interest, scholarships, state and
local tax refunds, and/or any other form of tax return preparation
question or data acquisition, as discussed herein, and/or as known
in the art at the time of filing, and/or as developed after the
time of filing, according to various embodiments. The default order
can be different than the ID and indicates a default priority of
presentation of each question, according to one embodiment. The
content includes the actual question presented to the user,
according to one embodiment. The liability weight is an indication
of how important the question is to present to the user to protect
the tax return preparation service provider from liability to the
user for improper tax return preparation, according to one
embodiment. The liability weight can range from 1, e.g., the
question must be presented to the user in one form or another, to
0, e.g., the question may be withheld from the user without
subjecting the tax return preparation service provider to liability
to the user, according to one embodiment. The attributes of each
question can be used by the tax return preparation system 121 to
prioritize, filter, or otherwise determine relevancy of each
question 2 user, according to one embodiment.
The question relevance module 123 determines the relevancy of the
questions of the question pool 122 based on the user experience
elements 113 that are selected by the user, according to one
embodiment. In one embodiment, the question relevance module 123 is
included in the tax return preparation engine 124. In another
embodiment, the question relevance module 123 is within the tax
return preparation system 121 that is separate from the tax return
preparation engine 124. The question relevance module 123 receives
selected user experience elements 129 from the user interface 112,
according to one embodiment. The question relevance module 123 can
receive the selected user experience elements 139 from the user
interface 112 through the tax return preparation engine 124,
according to one embodiment. In another embodiment, the question
relevance module 123 receives the selected user experience elements
139 directly from the user interface 112 via communications channel
103.
Using the selected user experience elements 129, the question
relevance module 123 is configured to generate a question relevance
filter 130, according to one embodiment. The question relevance
filter 130 is based on the personal, social, and/or financial
characteristics of the user that the user has identified as
relevant, according to one embodiment. The question relevance
filter 130 filters tax return preparation interview questions from
the question pool 122 based on the topics of the questions,
according to one embodiment. The question relevance filter 130
filters tax return preparation interview questions from the
question pool 122 based on the topics and/or the subtopics of the
questions, according to another embodiment. In one embodiment, the
question relevance filter 130 prioritizes the tax return
preparation interview questions of the question pool 122 based on
the selected experience elements 129. For example, if the selected
user experience elements 129 include user experience elements that
identify the user as single, having no children, and having no
dependence, then the question relevance filter 130 will assign a
low priority to questions associated with a topic or subtopic of
children/other dependence. When the question relevance filter 130
assigned a low priority to tax return preparation interview
questions, the tax return preparation engine 124 can be configured
to omit providing the less-relevant questions to the user, or can
be configured to delay or deemphasize the presentation of the
less-relevant questions to the user, according to one
embodiment.
The question relevance module 123 receives tax return preparation
interview questions from the question pool 122, applies the
question relevance filter 130 to the received questions, and
provides relevant questions 131 to the tax return preparation
engine 124, for presentation to the user through the user interface
112, according to one embodiment. The question relevance module 123
generates the relevant questions 131 in the question pool 122 or in
another data structure, from which the tax return preparation
engine 124 retrieves the relevant questions 131 when the tax return
preparation engine 124 is ready to transmit the relevant questions
131 to the user through the user interface 112, according to one
embodiment. The question relevance module 123 applies the question
relevance filter 130 to the questions of the question pool 122 by
changing the default order or a prioritization of the questions in
the question pool 122, according to one embodiment. Because the
questions of the question pool 122 may be referenced and/or used
for many users of the tax return preparation system 121, it may be
impractical to reorder the questions of the question pool 122 for a
single user, according to one embodiment. Accordingly, the relevant
questions 131 may include references to the questions of the
question pool 122, which are prioritized in accordance with the
selected user experience elements 129 and the question relevance
filter 130, according to one embodiment.
The tax return preparation engine 124 guides the user through the
tax return preparation process by presenting the user with tax
return preparation interview questions from the question pool 122,
according to one embodiment. The tax return preparation engine 124
includes a user interface 132 to receive user data 133 from the
user and to present relevant questions 131 to the user, according
to one embodiment. The user interface 132 includes one or more user
experience elements 113 and user interface tools, such as, but not
limited to, user-selectable tiles, buttons, icons, images, dialog
boxes, text boxes, check boxes, radio buttons, slides, directory
trees, drop-down menus, and knobs for communicating information to
the user and for receiving the user data 133 from the user,
according to one embodiment. The tax return preparation engine 124
employs the user interface 132 to receive the user data 133 from
the I/O devices 111 of the user computing environment 110 and
employs the user interface 132 to transmit the user experience
elements 113 followed by the relevant questions 131 to the I/O
devices 111 of the user computing environment 110, according to one
embodiment.
In some embodiments, the tax return preparation system 121 is
configured to use the tax return preparation engine 124 to
recommend additional user experience elements 113, e.g., tiles or
bubbles, to the user based on the user experience elements 113 that
the user has selected, i.e., based on the selected user experience
elements 129. The tax return preparation system 121 is configured
to recommend additional user experience elements 113 based on user
experience elements 113 that have been relevant to other users
having selected user experience elements 129 in common with the
user of the user computing environment 110, according to one
embodiment.
The user data 133 can include, but is not limited to, a user's
name, a Social Security number, government identification, a
driver's license number, a date of birth, an address, a zip code, a
home ownership status, a marital status, an annual income, a job
title, an employer's address, spousal information, children's
information, assets, medical history, and the like, according to
various embodiments. In some implementations, the user data 133 is
a subset of all of the user information used by the tax return
preparation system 121 to prepare the user's tax return, e.g., is
limited to marital status, children's information, and annual
income. The user data 133 can also include, but is not limited to,
any information that the tax return preparation system 121 stores
or can import from the prior user tax return data 125, according to
one embodiment. The tax return preparation engine 124 is configured
to acquire the user data 133 by progressing the user through the
tax return preparation interview and is configured to prepare a tax
return for the user based on the user data 133, according to one
embodiment.
According to various embodiments, the user experience elements 113
can be used to provide additional information to the user can be
used to receive additional information from the user. For example,
the user experience elements 113 or the selected user experience
elements 129 are used as navigation buttons during the tax return
preparation interview, according to one embodiment. Once the user
has identified particular user experience elements 113 as being
relevant to the user, the tax return preparation engine 124, the
user interface 132, and/or the user interface 112 is configured to
display the selected user experience elements 129, e.g., along a
side or along the top of the user interface 112, to enable the user
to navigate between pages by clicking on the displayed selected
user experience elements 129, according to one embodiment. For
example, if one selected user experience elements 129 represents
medical expenses, the user can click on the medical expenses user
experience element to navigate to a questionnaire page that
includes questions related to medical expenses for the user,
according to one embodiment.
As another example, the user experience elements 113 or the
selected user experience elements 129 are used to indicate progress
through the tax return preparation interview, according to one
embodiment. Once the user has identified particular user experience
elements 113 as being relevant the user, the tax return preparation
engine 124, the user interface 132, and/or the user interface 112
is configured to display the selected user experience elements 129,
e.g., along a side or along the top of the user interface 112, to
indicate to the user which tax topics the user has completed and
which tax topics the user has yet to complete, according to one
embodiment. For example, the tax return preparation system 121 can
be configured to highlight selected user experience elements 129
that are associated with questions for a tax topic that have been
completed by the user, highlight selected user experience elements
129 that are associated with questions for a tax topic that have
not been completed, and/or otherwise mark/identify selected user
experience elements 129 that are associated with questions for a
tax topic that have been completed or that have not been completed
by the user, according to various embodiments. Accordingly, the tax
return preparation system 121 can be configured to provide an
easily understood progress bar using user experience elements 113
that have been selected by the user as being relevant to the user,
according to one embodiment.
As yet another example, the user experience elements 113 or the
selected user experience elements 129 can be configured to enable a
user to identify relationships between the user and dependence of
the user, according to one embodiment. For example, the user
experience elements 113 or the selected user experience elements
129 can be provided by the tax return preparation system 121 to the
user to enable the user to drag-and-drop the user experience
elements 113 into, for example, a family tree or other
lineage-related diagram, to enable the user to quickly and easily
provide relationship information between the user and the one or
more dependence of the user, according to one embodiment. If, for
example, a user has a grandparent, a child, and a grandchild that
are all dependents of the user, it may be far simpler for the user
to identify the relationships between the user and the dependence
of the user by simply dragging an icon of a male or an icon of a
female into branches or roots of a family tree or other
lineage-related diagram, to provide relationship information for
the user to the tax return preparation system 121, according to one
embodiment.
Unlike traditional tax return preparation systems, the tax return
preparation system 121 can reduce confusion, frustration, and trust
issues of users by prioritizing the sequence of questions presented
to the user so that more relevant questions are provided to the
user and irrelevant questions are presented to the user in an
optional, i.e., capable of being skipped, format, according to one
embodiment. As a result, the features and techniques described
herein are, in many ways, superior to the service received from a
tax return specialist/preparer. For example, human error associated
with a tax return specialist is eliminated, the hours of
availability of the tax return specialist become irrelevant, the
daily number of customers is not limited by the number of people a
tax return specialist is able to visit within a daily basis, and
the computerized tax return preparation process is unaffected by
emotion, fatigue, stress, or other external factors that may be
inherent in a tax return specialist during tax return season.
The various embodiments of the disclosure can be implemented to
improve the technical fields of user experience, automated tax
return preparation, data collection, and data processing.
Therefore, the various described embodiments of the disclosure and
their associated benefits amount to significantly more than an
abstract idea. In particular, by individualizing or personalizing
the tax return preparation interview, a tax return preparation
application may be able to gather more complete information from
the user and may be able to provide a more thorough and customized
analysis of potential tax return benefits for the user, according
to one embodiment.
In addition, by minimizing, or potentially eliminating, the
processing and presentation of irrelevant questions, implementation
of embodiments of the present disclosure allows for significant
improvement to the field of data collection and data processing. As
one illustrative example, by minimizing, or potentially
eliminating, the processing and presentation of irrelevant question
data to a user, implementation of embodiments of the present
disclosure allows for relevant data collection using fewer
processing cycles and less communications bandwidth. As a result,
embodiments of the present disclosure allow for improved processor
performance, more efficient use of memory access and data storage
capabilities, reduced communication channel bandwidth utilization,
and faster communications connections. Consequently, computing and
communication systems implementing and/or providing the embodiments
of the present disclosure are transformed into faster and more
operationally efficient devices and systems.
Process
FIG. 2 illustrates a functional flow diagram of a process 200 for
increasing a relevance of questions presented to a user in an
electronic tax return preparation interview process, by providing
relevant questions to a user during an electronic tax return
preparation interview through filtering less relevant questions
from a question pool, at least partially based on a manipulation or
selection of user experience elements by the user, according to one
embodiment.
At block 202, the process begins.
At block 204, the process provides user experience elements to a
user interface, according to one embodiment. The user experience
elements can include, but are not limited to, icons, tiles,
bubbles, or other shapes and/or text that describes or is
associated with a tax-related topic or a group of questions for a
tax-related topic, according to one embodiment.
At block 206, the process receives selected user experience
elements from the user interface, according to one embodiment. In
the user interface, the user selects, drags and drops, highlights,
or otherwise indicates which of the user experience elements are
relevant to the user, according to one embodiment. The user
interface gamefies the user experience elements to simplify and
increase the enjoyability of personalizing the tax return
preparation interview for the user, according to one
embodiment.
At block 208, the process generates a question relevance filter
based on the selected user experience elements, according to one
embodiment. The question relevance filter removes or de-prioritizes
tax return preparation interview questions so that questions that
are less-relevant to the user are either omitted from the tax
return preparation interview or are presented to the user after
more-relevant questions are presented to the user, according to one
embodiment.
At block 210, the process applies the question relevance filter to
determine relevant questions, according to one embodiment. The
process can apply questions from a question pool where the question
bank to the question relevance filter to determine, generate, or
otherwise set apart a subset of the question pool that is more
relevant to the user than the entire question pool, according to
one embodiment.
At block 212, the process presents the relevant questions to the
user to progress the user through the tax return preparation
interview, according to one embodiment. By omitting, removing, or
delaying the presentation of less-relevant questions to the user,
the tax return preparation system potentially decreases the
duration of the tax return preparation interview, potentially
decreases the confusion of the user that is progressing through the
tax return preparation interview, and potentially increases overall
customer satisfaction for users of the tax return preparation
system, according to one embodiment.
At block 214, the process ends.
Although a particular sequence is described herein for the
execution of the process 200, other sequences can also be
implemented, according to other embodiments.
User Experience
FIGS. 3-6 illustrate examples of the user interface 112 and the
user experience elements 113 of the production environment 100
(shown in FIG. 1), according to various embodiments.
FIG. 3 illustrates a user interface 300 for enabling a user to
graphically determine tax-related topics that may be relevant to
the user, based on a graphical selection of situations, social
characteristics, and/or financial characteristics of the user,
according to one embodiment. The user interface 300 includes a
number of tiles 301, which are example embodiments of the user
experience elements 113 of the production environment 100,
according to one embodiment. Each of the number of tiles 301
includes an icon 302 and/or a text description 303, according to
one embodiment. The user interface 300 includes a pallet 304, e.g.,
a drag-and-drop region, for receiving one or more of the number of
tiles 301 that are relevant to the user's circumstances, according
to one embodiment. The user interface 300 advantage is the includes
icons size to facilitate manipulation with a touchscreen, such as
is found in a tablet computing device and/or a smart phone,
according to one embodiment.
FIG. 4 illustrates a user interface 400 for enabling a user to
graphically determine tax-related topics that may be relevant to
the user, based on a graphical selection of situations, social
characteristics, and/or financial characteristics of the user,
according to one embodiment. The user interface 400 includes a
number of bubbles 401, which are example embodiments of the user
experience elements 113 of the production environment 100,
according to one embodiment. Each of the number of bubbles 401
includes an icon 402 and/or a text description 403, according to
one embodiment. The user interface 400 includes instructions 404
for using the user interface 400, according to one embodiment. The
user interface 400 also includes a bubble 405 associated with an
icon 406 of the user, according to one embodiment. The bubble 405
enables the user to drag-and-drop one or more of the number of
bubbles 401 into the bubble 405 to select, mark, and/or otherwise
indicate which of the number of bubbles 401 are relevant to the
user, according to one embodiment. The number of bubbles 401 can be
configured to be statically, i.e., not moving, waiting for the user
to drag and drop them into the bubble 405, according to one
embodiment. In an alternative embodiment, the number of bubbles 401
can be configured to be bouncing off of one another and be moving
slowly, rapidly, and/or pseudo-randomly within a first region 407
of the user interface 400, according to various embodiments.
FIG. 5 illustrates a user interface 500 for enabling the user to
graphically determine tax-related topics that may be relevant to
the user, based on a graphical selection of situations, social
characteristics, and/or financial characteristics of the user,
according to one embodiment. The user interface 500 includes a
number of icons 501, which are example embodiments of the user
experience elements 113 of the production environment 100,
according to one embodiment. The number of icons 501 are associated
with corresponding text descriptions 502, according to one
embodiment. As described above, each of the user experience
elements 113, icons 501, bubbles 401, and/or tiles 301, are
associated with a tax-related topic, a tax-related subtopic, and a
number of tax return preparation interview questions, according to
one embodiment. The user interface 500 includes a well 503 to
receive relevant icons 501 from the user, according to one
embodiment. While a well 503 is illustrated, any number of
receptacles or other icons can be displayed in the user interface
500 to receive dragged-and-dropped icons 501 from the user,
according to various embodiments. The user interface 500 optionally
includes instructions 504 for using the user interface 500,
according to one embodiment. The user interface 500 depicts one or
more selected icons 505 that have been dragged-and-dropped into the
well 503 by a user, according to one embodiment.
FIG. 6 illustrates a user interface 600 for enabling the user to
graphically provide dependent-related information to the tax return
preparation system using additional user experience elements,
according to one embodiment. The user interface hundred includes a
family tree 601 and family relationships 602 that are within the
family tree 601, according to one embodiment. The user interface
600 includes instructions 603 for using the user interface 600,
according to one embodiment. The user interface 600 includes male
icons 604 and female icons 605 to enable the user to select a sex
of a dependent and drag-and-drop an icon that is representative of
the dependent into a family relationship 602 in the family tree
601, according to one embodiment. The male icons 604, female icons
605 and the family tree 601 are examples of the user experience
elements 113, according to one embodiment.
As noted above, the specific illustrative examples discussed above
are but illustrative examples of implementations of embodiments of
the method or process for determining and reducing the likelihood
of abandonment of a task by a user within a tax return preparation
system, which uses interchangeable analytics modules of the
production environment 100. Those of skill in the art will readily
recognize that other implementations and embodiments are possible.
Therefore the discussion above should not be construed as a
limitation on the claims provided below.
In accordance with an embodiment, computing system implemented
method reduces a presentation of less-relevant questions to a user
of a tax return preparation system to personalize a tax return
preparation interview process for the user. The method includes
providing, with a user interface hosted by a computing system, a
number user experience elements to a user to select from, according
to one embodiment. Each of the number of user experience elements
includes a graphical representation of at least one of: a
tax-related topic, a social characteristic of the user, and a
financial characteristic of the user, according to one embodiment.
The number of user experience elements are selectable by the user
through the user interface by moving one or more of the number of
user experience elements from a first region in the user interface
to a second region of the user interface, according to one
embodiment. The method includes receiving selected ones of the
number of user experience elements from the user interface,
according to one embodiment. The method includes prioritizing
questions of the tax return preparation interview process, by
relevance to the user, based at least partially on the selected
ones of the number of user experience elements, according to one
embodiment. The method includes delivering relevant ones of the
questions to the user through the user interface to progress the
user through the tax return preparation interview process,
according to one embodiment.
In accordance with one embodiment, a computer-readable medium
includes a plurality of computer-executable instructions which,
when executed by a processor, perform a method for reducing a
presentation of less-relevant questions to a user of a tax return
preparation system to personalize a tax return preparation
interview process for the user. The instructions include a tax
return preparation engine that hosts a user interface to provide
user experience elements and relevant interview questions to the
user to progress the user through the tax return preparation
interview process, according to one embodiment. The user experience
elements include graphical icons that are associated with
tax-related topics, and the user experience elements are selectable
by the user through the user interface by moving one or more of the
user experience elements from a first region in the user interface
to a second region of the user interface, according to one
embodiment. The instructions include a data structure that includes
questions for the tax return preparation interview process,
according to one embodiment. Each question is associated with at
least one of the tax-related topics, according to one embodiment.
The instructions include a question relevance module that receives
selected ones of the user experience elements, and the question
relevance module is configured to determine the relevant interview
questions from the questions for the tax return preparation
interview process, at least partially based on the selected ones of
the user experience elements, according to one embodiment.
In accordance with one embodiment, a system reduces a presentation
of less-relevant questions to a user of a tax return preparation
system to personalize a tax return preparation interview process
for the user. The system includes at least one processor; and at
least one memory coupled to the at least one processor, the at
least one memory having stored therein instructions which, when
executed by any set of the one or more processors, perform a
process for reducing a presentation of less-relevant questions to a
user of a tax return preparation system to personalize a tax return
preparation interview process for the user, according to one
embodiment. The process includes providing, with a user interface
hosted by a computing system, a number user experience elements to
a user to select from, according to one embodiment. Each of the
number of user experience elements includes a graphical
representation of at least one of: a tax-related topic, a social
characteristic of the user, and a financial characteristic of the
user, according to one embodiment. The number of user experience
elements are selectable by the user through the user interface by
moving one or more of the number of user experience elements from a
first region in the user interface to a second region of the user
interface, according to one embodiment. The process includes
receiving selected ones of the number of user experience elements
from the user interface, according to one embodiment. The process
includes prioritizing questions of the tax return preparation
interview process, by relevance to the user, based at least
partially on the selected ones of the number of user experience
elements, according to one embodiment. The process includes
delivering relevant ones of the questions to the user through the
user interface to progress the user through the tax return
preparation interview process, according to one embodiment.
By minimizing, or potentially eliminating, the processing and
presentation of irrelevant questions to a user, implementation of
embodiments of the present disclosure allows for significant
improvement to the technical fields of user experience, electronic
tax return preparation, data collection, and data processing. As
one illustrative example, by minimizing, or potentially
eliminating, the processing and presentation of irrelevant question
data to a user, implementation of embodiments of the present
disclosure uses fewer human resources (e.g., time, focus) by not
asking irrelevant questions and allows for relevant data collection
by using fewer processing cycles and less communications bandwidth.
As a result, embodiments of the present disclosure allow for
improved processor performance, more efficient use of memory access
and data storage capabilities, reduced communication channel
bandwidth utilization, faster communications connections, and
improved user efficiency. Consequently, computing and communication
systems are transformed into faster and more operationally
efficient devices and systems by implementing and/or providing the
embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, implementation of
embodiments of the present disclosure amount to significantly more
than an abstract idea and also provide several improvements to
multiple technical fields.
In the discussion above, certain aspects of one embodiment include
process steps and/or operations and/or instructions described
herein for illustrative purposes in a particular order and/or
grouping. However, the particular order and/or grouping shown and
discussed herein are illustrative only and not limiting. Those of
skill in the art will recognize that other orders and/or grouping
of the process steps and/or operations and/or instructions are
possible and, in some embodiments, one or more of the process steps
and/or operations and/or instructions discussed above can be
combined and/or deleted. In addition, portions of one or more of
the process steps and/or operations and/or instructions can be
re-grouped as portions of one or more other of the process steps
and/or operations and/or instructions discussed herein.
Consequently, the particular order and/or grouping of the process
steps and/or operations and/or instructions discussed herein do not
limit the scope of the invention as claimed below.
As discussed in more detail above, using the above embodiments,
with little or no modification and/or input, there is considerable
flexibility, adaptability, and opportunity for customization to
meet the specific needs of various users under numerous
circumstances.
In the discussion above, certain aspects of one embodiment include
process steps and/or operations and/or instructions described
herein for illustrative purposes in a particular order and/or
grouping. However, the particular order and/or grouping shown and
discussed herein are illustrative only and not limiting. Those of
skill in the art will recognize that other orders and/or grouping
of the process steps and/or operations and/or instructions are
possible and, in some embodiments, one or more of the process steps
and/or operations and/or instructions discussed above can be
combined and/or deleted. In addition, portions of one or more of
the process steps and/or operations and/or instructions can be
re-grouped as portions of one or more other of the process steps
and/or operations and/or instructions discussed herein.
Consequently, the particular order and/or grouping of the process
steps and/or operations and/or instructions discussed herein do not
limit the scope of the invention as claimed below.
The present invention has been described in particular detail with
respect to specific possible embodiments. Those of skill in the art
will appreciate that the invention may be practiced in other
embodiments. For example, the nomenclature used for components,
capitalization of component designations and terms, the attributes,
data structures, or any other programming or structural aspect is
not significant, mandatory, or limiting, and the mechanisms that
implement the invention or its features can have various different
names, formats, or protocols. Further, the system or functionality
of the invention may be implemented via various combinations of
software and hardware, as described, or entirely in hardware
elements. Also, particular divisions of functionality between the
various components described herein are merely exemplary, and not
mandatory or significant. Consequently, functions performed by a
single component may, in other embodiments, be performed by
multiple components, and functions performed by multiple components
may, in other embodiments, be performed by a single component.
Some portions of the above description present the features of the
present invention in terms of algorithms and symbolic
representations of operations, or algorithm-like representations,
of operations on information/data. These algorithmic or
algorithm-like descriptions and representations are the means used
by those of skill in the art to most effectively and efficiently
convey the substance of their work to others of skill in the art.
These operations, while described functionally or logically, are
understood to be implemented by computer programs or computing
systems. Furthermore, it has also proven convenient at times to
refer to these arrangements of operations as steps or modules or by
functional names, without loss of generality.
Unless specifically stated otherwise, as would be apparent from the
above discussion, it is appreciated that throughout the above
description, discussions utilizing terms such as, but not limited
to, "activating," "accessing," "adding," "aggregating," "alerting,"
"applying," "analyzing," "associating," "calculating," "capturing,"
"categorizing," "classifying," "comparing," "creating," "defining,"
"detecting," "determining," "distributing," "eliminating,"
"encrypting," "extracting," "filtering," "forwarding,"
"generating," "identifying," "implementing," "informing,"
"monitoring," "obtaining," "posting," "processing," "providing,"
"receiving," "requesting," "saving," "sending," "storing,"
"substituting," "transferring," "transforming," "transmitting,"
"using," etc., refer to the action and process of a computing
system or similar electronic device that manipulates and operates
on data represented as physical (electronic) quantities within the
computing system memories, resisters, caches or other information
storage, transmission or display devices.
The present invention also relates to an apparatus or system for
performing the operations described herein. This apparatus or
system may be specifically constructed for the required purposes,
or the apparatus or system can comprise a general purpose system
selectively activated or configured/reconfigured by a computer
program stored on a computer program product as discussed herein
that can be accessed by a computing system or other device.
The present invention is well suited to a wide variety of computer
network systems operating over numerous topologies. Within this
field, the configuration and management of large networks comprise
storage devices and computers that are communicatively coupled to
similar or dissimilar computers and storage devices over a private
network, a LAN, a WAN, a private network, or a public network, such
as the Internet.
It should also be noted that the language used in the specification
has been principally selected for readability, clarity and
instructional purposes, and may not have been selected to delineate
or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. Accordingly, the
disclosure of the present invention is intended to be illustrative,
but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth
in the claims below.
In addition, the operations shown in the FIG.s, or as discussed
herein, are identified using a particular nomenclature for ease of
description and understanding, but other nomenclature is often used
in the art to identify equivalent operations.
Therefore, numerous variations, whether explicitly provided for by
the specification or implied by the specification or not, may be
implemented by one of skill in the art in view of this
disclosure.
* * * * *
References